This is the seventh lesson in a series of lessons on the book of Obadiah. In this lesson I’m going to look at verses 15 through 21 and show that in the end, Yahweh wins.
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Transcript:
Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. This is the seventh lesson in a series of lessons on the book of Obadiah. In this lesson I’m going to look at verses 15 through 21 and show that in the end, Yahweh wins.
The book of Obadiah can be roughly divided into three sections. The first section is verses one through nine where we see a declaration that Edom was going to be punished. The second section is verses 10 through 14 which tells us why Edom was going to be punished. The third section is verses 15 through 21 which tells us about the end times. It tells us how this conflict between Jacob and Esau would end. Ultimately, we see that in the end, Yahweh wins.
What I’m going to do in this lesson is read the book of Obadiah so that we see this punishment upon Edom, the reason for it, and the fact that in the end, Yahweh wins. Then I’m going to read some verses from Revelation which also tell us that in the end, Yahweh wins.
Let’s read the book of Obadiah.
Obadiah 1:1 A vision of Obadiah: Thus said Yahweh my Lord to Edom. We heard a report from Yahweh, and an envoy was sent among the nations, “Arise and let us stand against her for war. 2 Behold, I made you small among the nations. You were very despised. 3 The pride of your heart deceived you, the one dwelling in the clefts of the rock, saying in his heart in the height of his seat, ‘Who can send me down to the earth?’ 4 Even if you are soaring as high as an eagle and even if your nest is placed among the stars, from there I will send you down”, declares Yahweh.
Obadiah 1:5 If thieves came to you, those devastating at night, how would you be ruined? Would they not steal only enough for them? If gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? 6 How will Esau be searched? His hidden treasures will be grazed bare. 7 All the men who signed your agreement will send you as far as the border. The men at peace with you will deceive you and have power over you. They will set an ambush against you for your food. There is no understanding in him.
Obadiah 1:8 “Will I not on that day,” declares Yahweh, “destroy wisdom from Edom and understanding from Esau?” 9 Then your mighty ones will be dismayed, Teman, in order that each man will be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.
In the first nine verses we see a declaration that Edom was going to be punished. In the next group of verses we see the reason Edom was going to be punished.
Obadiah 1:10 Because of violence to your brother Jacob, shame smothers you and you will be cut off forever. 11 In the day you stood far off, and in the day strangers captured his wealth and foreigners came to his gate and cast lots over Jerusalem, you also were as one of them.
Obadiah 1:12 Do not gaze in your brother’s day at the day of his misfortune, and do not rejoice over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction. Do not let your mouth boast in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of My people in the day of their calamity. Also you, do not gaze at his misfortune in the day of his calamity. Do not take away his wealth in the day of his calamity. 14 Do not stand over the crossroads to cut off his fugitives and do not capture his survivors in the day of distress.
Edom was punished because they did not help the Israelites when they were attacked. In fact, the Edomites helped to plunder the Israelites. Now let’s read the last section and see how this conflict between Jacob and Esau would end.
Obadiah 1:15 Because the day of Yahweh is close to being upon all of the nations. Just as you did, it will be done to you. Your actions will be returned upon your head. 16 Because just as you drank on My holy mountain, all of the nations are drinking continually. Then they will drink, swallow, and be as if they never were.
Obadiah 1:17 A remnant will be on the mountain of Zion. Then it will be holy and the house of Jacob will possess their possessions. 18 The house of Jacob will be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau will become stubble. They will burn them and eat them, and a survivor will not exist in the house of Esau because Yahweh declared it.
We see in verse 18 that the house of Jacob will be a fire. The house of Jacob was the Israelites. We see that the house of Joseph will be a flame. Joseph was a tribe of Israel, so the house of Joseph also refers to Israelites. The Israelites were going to be a fire and a flame.
Then we see the house of Esau will become stubble. The house of Esau was the Edomites. They were going to be stubble. Stubble is burned up by fire. We see that the Israelites were going to burn the Edomites just as flame burns stubble.
Then we see that a survivor would not exist in the house of Esau. So the Edomites were going to be eliminated. That is true today. If you go to the Middle East today, there is not a country or a people group that is known as the Edomites. They have ceased to exist.
Then we see in the last phrase of verse 18, all this happened because Yahweh declared it. That’s a statement that Yahweh is sovereign.
Obadiah 1:19 Then the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau and the Shephelah will possess the Philistines. They will possess the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
We see in verse 19 the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau. Negev is the Hebrew word for south. Negev refers to the southern part of Israel. In other words, the people in the southern part of Israel were going to go possess the mountain of Esau.
The Shephelah will possess the Philistines. The Shephelah was also a geographical region within Israel. We see in verse 19 that the people in the Shephelah were going to go possess the Philistines.
Verse 19 also says they will possess the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria. They refers to the Negev and the Shephelah, which are Israelites. They were going to possess the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria. Ephraim was a tribe of Israel. Notice it says the field of Ephraim. This refers to an area of land where the tribe of Ephraim was supposed to be living and Samaria is a city within Israel where Israelites were supposed to be living.
However, what happened in Old Testament history is that at one point the Israelites were so sinful that the Assyrians came in and conquered the northern part of Israel. The area of Ephraim and Samaria was included in the area that was conquered. Verse 19 tells us that at some point the Israelites from the Negev and the Shephelah would go and repossess the area of Ephraim and Samaria.
Verse 19 says Benjamin will possess Gilead. Benjamin was a tribe of Israel. They were going to go and possess the area of Gilead which was outside the area assigned to the Israelites.
Let’s look at this on a map. Off to the right you see the area of Israel. The areas with lines through them show areas that were non-Israelite nations in the Old Testament time period.
We read that the Negev was going to go possess Edom. We see that the Negev is a region in Israel. They were going to go possess an area outside of Israel.
Then we read that the Shephelah was going to go possess the Philistines. We read that the Negev and the Shephelah would go possess the area of Samaria and Ephraim. Then we read that Benjamin was going to go possess Gilead. Gilead is an area that was lived in by the Ammonites.
Obadiah 1:20 The captives of this district of the sons of Israel who are among Canaanites as far as Zarephath and the captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev. 21 Then saviors will go up to the mountain of Zion to judge the mountain of Esau and the kingdom will belong to Yahweh.
We see in verse 21 that saviors were going to go to the mountain of Zion to judge the mountain of Esau. This is a statement that Esau was going to be judged. The final phrase of Obadiah is “the kingdom will belong to Yahweh”. This states very clearly that in the end, Yahweh wins.
Those verses tell us how the conflict between Jacob and Esau ends. As I just said, we see that in the end, Yahweh wins.
Now let’s look at some verses in Revelation which also tell us that in the end, Yahweh wins.
Rev. 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
In Revelation we read about a judgment and we see that at the end of time, after everything on earth is complete, Yahweh wins.
The lesson for us out of all this is we have a choice. We can either voluntarily submit to Yahweh now, or we can involuntarily submit to Him later, because in the end, Yahweh is going to win. In the end, everyone will submit to Yahweh. In the end, everyone’s fate is subject to Yahweh’s decision. It’s much better to voluntarily submit to Yahweh now, serve Him, and reap the rewards of being one of His servants, as opposed to reaping a punishment for refusing to yield and submit to Him.
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